To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent progress has been made towards bringing forward proposals to abolish the offences of blasphemy and blasphemous libel. (205302)

Section 79 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, which received Royal Assent on 8 May, contains provisions which abolish the common-law offences of blasphemy and blasphemous libel. Section 153(2)(d) of the Act provides for these provisions to come into force two months after Royal Assent.